The Box
by ARaeOfHappiness
Summary: Two young, hopeful girls made a pact that seemed oh-so simple at the time: Stay best friends forever. Of course time has a funny way of changing things, and sometimes even people. As we grow older we lose ourselves, but if we're lucky we keep the important parts. What could it possibly take to bring two childhood friends back together again, when so much has already changed?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own DB or any of the characters affiliated with the series, nor do I own the lyrics that so beautifully fit this introduction to my story!  
**

**A/N; **If you do happen to enjoy the beginning, please do review and I will try to have the second chapter up as soon as I can.

_ARaeOfHappiness_

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**Prologue**

_"Oh darling, don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up. Just stay this little. Oh darling, don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up. It could stay this simple. I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart. And no one will desert you. Just try to never grow up."_

"Are you coming or _not_?" The ten-year-old Bulla Briefs whisper-yelled, tip-toeing dramatically down the everlasting corridor of Capsule Corporation. They, she and Pan, had gone through a great deal of trouble climbing out of bed and making it this far. There was no way she would be turning back now, with or without her dark-haired friend at her side. Pan was five months Bulla's senior and no matter how hard she attempted to take charge in their schemes, the turquoise-haired princess always seemed to get her way in the end. She had this spooky sort of persuasiveness to her - that and a perfected whine when something wasn't going her way.

"I'm coming," Pan whispered back, running a hand through her matted bedhead. It wasn't that she didn't think this was a cool idea. They had been planning it for two weeks now, ever since Bulla's tenth birthday party the week previous to now. A little bit of ice cream, cake, and presents, and you're just bursting with spontaneity. It was exciting to sneak out of the house, pajama-clad, even if it was only to bury an old shoebox filled with their favorite possessions in the backyard. She had slept over for this sole purpose. Still Bulla would hardly understand the sort of intense training sessions she endured every day. It wasn't difficult to understand why she wasn't bursting with as much energy as the pampered girl in front of her, who was practically skipping giddily down the stairs. She clutched the belt to her first fighting gi within the palm of her hand and walked on.

Capsule Corporation was obviously the largest place of residence in all of West City - what with multiple floors and rooms, a six-car garage, atrium, gravity chamber, and pool. The girls made it through the maze that they had grown up playing in without struggle, easily. While Bulla's parents and older brother were sound asleep throughout the property, the duo found themselves sitting cross-legged beneath one of the few trees in the enormous yard, Bunny Briefs' gardening shovels in hand.

"This has to be the only downside," Bulla crinkled her tiny nose as she mercilessly stabbed the dirt with her shovel. She hated the littlest of nature, let alone plain old dirt on her hands and underneath her fingernails.

Pan laughed and flung a good-sized clump of ground behind her. She was having a rather enjoyable time digging up the Earth. It was so good a time that her navy blue pajamas were already stained with brown spots and streaks of moist green grass. "It should be deep enough now, right?"

"Yeah-huh." Bulla muttered, though one couldn't be positively sure whether it was a genuine answer or an excuse to get out of shoveling any more. "If we make it too deep, we might not find it again." She sat a pink shoebox on the grass in front of them, Pan now saw that both of their names were bedazzled on the lid and Bulla had made sure to scribble the words 'BFF' on every one of the four sides. Even Pan couldn't resist a grin now. They were actually doing it.

"How should we start?"

"I'll start it," Bulla offered and cleared her throat, dusting her hands off on the front of her cotton candy pink nightgown. "Tonight we're gathered here under our favorite tree - "

"The only tree."

"Ah-hem. _One _of the _only _trees in my backyard. _Thank you_, Pannie!" She fought a childish giggle. This was a serious situation, after all. They had to be mature. "We're here to make a pact to each other and ourselves, to be best friends forever. We've survived ten eventful years as best friends and would like to have tons more. Now, you drop your item in and state your dreams for the future," Bulla instructed the darker haired girl, very professional-like. She could have ran for president with that tone of voice. It was quite obvious whose mom was the CEO here.

Pan nodded in agreement to every word the younger girl said, before she dropped her belt into the box that had once contained Bulla's ballet slippers (before she quit to take up piano, and then quit that to do hip-hop dance). "I want to continue fighting and be the strongest in the world some day and maybe, maybe one day I can get my friend _Bulla_ here to spar with me." She shot her friend a playful look. The chances of her lifting a finger to fight were as likely as Vegeta wearing a pink tutu.

"That's nice, Pan. Pushing it. But nice." It was Bulla's turn now and Pan could have sworn that she saw miniscule tears forming in the girl's cerulean eyes as she unclasped the charm bracelet from her thin wrist and dropped it into the box beside the belt and letter the two had come up with the day before.

"I thought you were going to put that creepy doll in there?"

"We said we would put something important to us in the box, Pan. Malibu Barbie isn't exactly meaningful." She inhaled dramatically, fanned herself, and placed the lid back on the box before handing it to Pan, who then slowly lowered it into the hole in the ground as though they would never see them again. Bulla went on. "I hope to have really big b -"

"Bulla."

" - What?"

"Whatever happened to being, uh what did you call it, meaningful?"

"Oh, come on. I was being serious." Huffing, she picked up her abandoned shovel and began to cover the box. "Fine. I want to be my own person. I don't wanna run a whole boring corporation like my mom, or fight like my papa. I want to have fun!" She nodded. "_And_ big boobs wouldn't hurt!"

Eyes rolled in the back of her head, Pan finished patting the dirt down over the hole.

The sky was becoming darker as the moon hid comfortably behind a group of puffy gray clouds, shifting slowly but never making it anywhere, or giving the crescent-shaped object an opportunity to show its glowing face. A soft summer breeze blew strands of their hair around, and for a moment it was silent aside from the distinct sound of crickets and other unknown insects hiding in the leaves above them. Somewhere in the bushes behind them, Scratch was attempting to catch one of these crickets with his stubby, muddy paws. The box wasn't to be opened until the summer before their senior year of high school, that much was decided ahead of time. Neither one had any doubt in their mind that their friendship couldn't survive anything. They had practically been joined at the hip since their birth ten years ago. When they dug up the box, years from now, they would not only retrieve their beloved possessions but also prove to themselves (and Trunks and Goten) that their friendship was superior.

A light clicked on in the kitchen window and the girls exchanged glances as they simultaneously hopped to their bare, dirt-stained feet.

"Bulla Briefs, do you know what time it is?!" An irate Bulma called as the sliding door was ripped open with a thud.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the lovely reviews. It definitely played a large part in my deciding to continue this fic. In this chapter you'll see a very different interaction between Bulla and Pan. It's only the beginning of the story and there's a whole lot to be read in the future, so keep your thoughts coming!

_~ ARaeOfHappiness_

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**Chapter 2:**

_"Oh, you know her, would you look at that hair_? _Yeah, you know her, check out those shoes_. _She looks like she stepped out of the middle of somebody's blues."_

Prom is a night that almost every teenage girl has dreamt of at one point or another. Social status is completely irrelevant when it comes to such fantasies of dressing up like a princess in a fairytale book and dancing the night away with some mysterious prince, whispering romantic intentions into your ear. This very event, of course, was why sixteen year old Bulla stood panty-clad in a sea of pastel dresses at _**West City Affairs**_. "They're just not right," she insisted, attempting to convey this point to her mother for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Bulma Briefs stood with her back to the door of the dressing room, her arms folded firmly over her busty chest. "Bulla Briefs," she began in her most patient of tones. Bulla had heard it plenty of times over the years, especially used on her mother's neediest of clients. "This is your _junior _prom, dear. You have plenty of time to worry about the perfect dress _next_ year."

"It's not _every year _that the senior quarterback asks you to go as his date, mom." The turquoise-haired adolescent groaned and tossed a bright yellow cocktail dress over her head to conveniently rest on her seething mother's. Bulma loved her little girl as much as any mother could possibly love her child, but the carbon copy's inherited finickiness was enough to drive even _her_ crazy at this point. She took a deep breath, prominent laugh lines revealing themselves as she forced a maternal smile onto her evenly painted lips. Silence. "Mom?!"

"Put your clothes on, honey. I'm sure they have some more in the back of the store."

One unzipping, two mumbled curse words, and a couple of stomps later: and Bulla emerged in her black denim mini and red midriff baring cami. "I told Massie and Autumn I would meet them for lunch in the food court. They've had their dresses for weeks. How does that make _me_ look?"

"Oh, don't be silly, sweetie. Those girls hardly have your fashion tastes." The stylish matriarch waved a hand above her head. "Actually, they follow you around like little robots sometimes."

"They're my _friends_, mom. That's what they're supposed to do."

"I swear one of them was in my bedroom the other night," Trunks chirped in, poking his lavender head out from one of the several clothing racks aligning the store. Vegeta stood behind him, smelling of concession stand hot dogs, his muscular arms crossed.

"Done with lunch already, boys?" Bulma smiled lovingly. It had almost taken an act to congress to get the whole family at the mall for a day of shopping. What with Trunks working full time as Capsule Corporation's new CEO and Vegeta always cooped up in the gravity chamber that she was almost constantly repairing and remodeling, it seemed nearly impossible to have them all in one place for long. The witty and always beautiful business woman had learned to never say never a long time ago. She was married to a Saiyan prince, after all.

"Dad got us kicked out of the food court."

Bulla, already shoving metal hangers aside to browse the remaining selection, shot her brother a glare. "Dad was the only one, huh? That's aside from the point. We're doing something important and if you're only here to throw around jerkish comments, you can leave where you came in." The last thing the teen wanted was to hear her brother brag about how her friends were all over him. Sure, Massie and Autumn were sort of airheads, but they weren't that low.

"Ouch." Trunks leaned against the nearest wall now, shoving his hands into his pockets. Bulma rubbed her temples and Vegeta smirked, only to receive a warning glare from his wife. He always seemed to show pride in his daughter's sass. Kami forbid she use it against him, though.

"What?" He grunted.

Before anyone was given the chance to respond, the previously frustrated girl gasped, holding up a very expensive looking dress. It was a strapless, floor-length ivory gown, embellished with the most gorgeous of glitters along the bodice and skirt which transformed into a breathtakingly elegant mermaid tail. It might have looked like a bit too much for prom on anybody else, but the moment Bulla held it up to herself and spun around, beaming - everybody there to witness knew that it had to be hers. In fact, the family credit card was being swiped at the counter before she even tried it on. It had been finalized the moment the aqua-eyed princess had picked it up. Father and son left mother and daughter to their shopping not long after. The decision between being snapped at by temperamental women and raiding food stands was quite simple.

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"Why can't I just wear something that I already own?" The Briefs recognized the female's voice coming from the entrance as they were finishing up at the sale's counter. Son Pan was practically being dragged into the dress shop by the arms of her mother and paternal grandmother, Videl and Chi-Chi. Recently turned seventeen, Pan had long abandoned her trademark orange bandana and let her dark shoulder-length hair lie free. Her facial features (which were undeniably similar to that of her grandmother's) were carved into a wide grimace. She wore a pair of beige cargo pants and a dark green tank top.

"I told you, Pan. One day you're going to look back on this experience and want nothing more than to have it all back. I wish I had gotten to attend prom. You're very l -... _Bulma_?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, rushing over to the wealthy woman before anybody else had the opportunity to make the smallest of moves. The two had coffee and brunch at least once a week but anyone who knew Goku's wife, also knew that she was famous for her dramatic means of interaction and echoing voice. "Shopping for dresses, too?" She rested a hand on her hip. "I haven't seen Bulla around in ages. She's always so busy."

Bulla smiled politely and held up the long piece of plastic that concealed her new prom dress, all the while avoiding any eye contact whatsoever with the dark-haired teen. Little did she know that Pan was doing the exact same. "Already done."

"We thought we'd never find one good enough," Bulma added with a wink. "You know teenagers."

"Oh how I envy them." Chi-Chi sighed loudly, glancing over at Pan who seemed all the more fascinated by her chipped fingernail polish. "We've had the opposite problem with Pan, didn't we, Videl? We've been trying to get her to the dress shop for weeks." Videl nodded and Pan groaned, looking at the two women as though they were easily the biggest traitors in the world. She had never been into sparkly dresses or high-heels and they knew it. Her mother had to be the biggest hypocrite of all. According to her father, Videl may have been an even bigger tomboy than Pan was at this age.

Just as she opened her mouth to defend herself, Bulla's gaze rested on her. "Hi."

"Hey," she reciprocated, weakly lifting her free hand for a pitiful looking wave.

Videl smiled. Bulma and Chi-Chi mirrored her smile. One couldn't be sure whether it was a happy or a sad one. The two teenage girls before their eyes hadn't spent much time together over the last few years. It was hard to forget the way they used to be, talking rapidly to each other over the phone every night and begging their parents to let one or the other sleep over. They had to be pried apart most days. The giggling and gossiping was long gone, and now replaced with an atmosphere that said nothing but pure awkwardness and silence.

Bulla's phone vibrated in the front of her handbag and she reached in to retrieve it, turning urgently to her mother a second later. "Autumn and Massie already had lunch. I have to show them the dress before we go shoe shopping."

"We had better get moving, anyway," Videl cut in, looking to her daughter. "I told Gohan I would stop by the grocery store on the way home."

"And I have to find Trunks and Vegeta before they eat the mall out of business." Bulma chuckled. "We should all get together sometime soon! Dinner?"

"Definitely," Chi-Chi agreed eagerly. "I'll put that fancy kitchen of yours to good use, Bulma."

"I look forward to it. It's been far too long." The older woman gave another charming smile as her daughter grabbed her arm and waved to the group, practically dragging her mother out of the store and toward the food court.

Pan sighed and trudged on further into the store that the Briefs girls had just abandoned. "If we're going to find a dress, we should do it fast."

"What was that all about?" Videl frowned, pulling her daughter aside as her Chi-Chi rummaged through horrendously pink dresses. "Bulla is your best friend."

Pan shook her head. "Was, mom. _Was_. I don't even know her anymore."


	3. Chapter 3

Helloooo. So I sort of, kind of just lost my muse for a bit. That's why this chapter took so long to make an appearance. My apologies. Hopefully the next will be up sooner than later and will be far more action packed. After Christmas, anyway. _Thank you for your patience and Happy Holidays!_

In response to **TeeLee123**, I was actually planning for Uub to be in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy the little bit of him that you get to see. Goku will show his face soon, as well as the other family members that we all love so much. Thanks for the lovely review!

~_ARaeOfHappiness_

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_"I will always be your friend. I know who you are inside. I am with you til the end, never far behind..."_

**Preparation - Friday, 8:00 PM**

"I look ridiculous." Pan stood in front of her mother's full-length mirror, scowling at the dark-haired, navy cocktail dress wearing girl who stared back at her. She hadn't planned on attending the junior prom at all. It just seemed like a huge waste of time, especially when you had another one taking place the upcoming year. If her mother and grandmother wanted her to make memories, why couldn't they just wait a couple of months? It was completely selfish of them. Grumbling, she slipped into the black ballet flats that she had put up quite the fight for the right to wear in the place of the traditional heels every girl there would be strutting or stumbling in.

"Pan!" Videl bellowed from downstairs. "Uub's here!"

Uub just so happened to be her date. The two had been decently close friends for a couple of years now, what with him always being around, an adopted family member in a way. Pan felt for Uub how she would a brother or a first cousin. Going to prom alone is unacceptable, according to her grandmother Chi-Chi, she was far too pretty for that (also according to her grandmother). Uub was the only rational choice at the last minute. She asked him to go as friends, that much was made clear from the get go. Still it wasn't exactly unselfish of her. She saw the way the shy island boy had began to look at her since she had grown breasts. He was harmless, of course, but that didn't make it right. A little devil stood on her shoulder, screaming at her: _"You made yourself perfectly clear! If he takes it the wrong way, it's his fault, not yours!" _While the little, pain in the butt, guilt tripping angel stood on her other shoulder whining about leading people on and such. She didn't have time for either of them. Her mother was about three seconds from dragging her downstairs, she knew. "Coming!"

"You look beautiful, Pan." Videl smiled sincerely, snapping a single picture of her daughter and Uub with an ancient looking camera. Pan was grateful for that much. She could see Bulla now, parading around her house in a dress fit for a movie star, posing at every angle as Bulma encouraged her mini-me to blow a kiss or make a silly face.

"Y-You really do look great." A somewhat flushed Uub agreed.

"Thanks," she said as he anxiously shuffled forward, dressed in a slightly too big suit that she knew he had borrowed from Trunks. She couldn't help but to smile as he handed her a bouquet of hand-picked daisies. "You don't look too shabby yourself. Should we go and get this over with, then?"

Uub smiled and rubbed the back of his head, extending his free arm. She took it and looked to her parents, her mother who looked as though she were fighting back tears, and her father who was smiling but looking apprehensive all the same. What was with parents? She wondered. If they acted like this now, how would they act on her wedding day? If she ever got married, that is. "You guys be careful, alright?" Gohan slid an arm around his wife. Pan couldn't help but to wonder if her father forgot that she and Uub were two of the strongest people on the planet. She nodded, anyway, and led the way to her mother's car that she would be driving them in. Flying to prom was also unacceptable.

* * *

"How old are you, boy?" Vegeta asked his daughter's date for what seemed like the billionth time. Blaise, his name was. Varsity football quarterback. He had perfectly messy but perfectly tidy jet black locks, perfectly blue but perfectly green eyes, and biceps to die for; Bulla had explained him to her parents days before.

"Eighteen, sir."

"Eighteen." The Saiyan Prince's eyebrows furrowed into a large "V" shape. "You _are_ aware that my daughter is sixteen years old, are you not, boy?"

"Seventeen in two months!" Bulla added, glaring at her father, who glared right back and waved his hand to silence her.

"What are your intentions with my daughter, boy?"

"It's a dance, Mr. Briefs. I intend to dance with your daughter as I'm sure every other couple plans to do."

"Are you getting smart with me, boy?!" Seething, the widow-peaked man took an urgent step forward.

"Vegeta!" Bulma ran forward, beaming at her daughter's male friend as she rested a hand on her husband's shoulder. "You'll have to excuse him, hon. He's only playing the overprotective father role perfectly. You'll be back by midnight, won't you?" She glanced to her daughter for assistance, who quickly nodded appreciatively. Vegeta only grimaced, clenching his fists at his side. Where was Trunks when he needed back up? He was always outnumbered by these women!

"Midnight," Bulla agreed, grabbing Blaise's hand. "How's my hair?"

"Perfection." The proud matriarch answered before Blaise received a chance to open his mouth. She grabbed a pink can of hairspray off the polished banister, spraying random sections of her daughter's already silky mane of turquoise hair. Bulla nodded, satisfied, as she strutted out the front door with her date at her side. She knew that this night was going to be everything that she dreamed it would be. She had the perfect dress and guy on her arm.

Blaise waited until they were safely tucked away in his pearly white SUV to kiss her and tell her how sexy she looked in a somewhat raspier voice than he had used in front of her parents.

**Arrival - 8:25 PM**

Naturally the high school parking lot was packed with vehicles and Pan struggled to find a parking space at all, let alone a decent one. She cursed driving. Uub sat beside her, sweating, and constantly reassuring her that they still had all the time in the world. His patience was sweet, but it hardly phased her at this point. It wasn't the fact that she was frustrated about missing prom. That was the least of her worries, honestly. It was more so the overall situation. If she had to come, she would have preferred things be as easy as possible. After twenty minutes of circling cars, mopeds, and limousines, she finally pulled into a spot located near the back of the school (also known as the dumpsters and football field). She sighed, relieved, and slammed the car door behind her. Uub stood at her side within seconds and the two friends walked around the large building to enter the school gym. Pan handed the two tickets to the doorman and stepped into the nightmare. The large, usually exercise equipment filled gymnasium, was covered from top to bottom in pastel colored crepe paper and sparkling streamers. Girls and boys danced enthusiastically and chanted lyrics, all dressed in formal threads. A loud Lady Haha! song played in the background. She spotted Bulla almost immediately. Though she would have been greatly surprised if everybody from space failed to see the blue-haired princess in her sparkly white dress, giggling into the chest of that tool football player every teenage girl nearby ogled.

Bulla had to have been satisfied; Oh she was _so_ satisfied with herself.

"Would you like to dance, Pan?" Uub glanced out at the dance floor, a miniscule drop of sweat forming at the peak of his mohawk-ed forehead.

"Sure. That's what we're here for, right?" One couldn't be sure Pan was attempting to reassure him or herself. She allowed him to lead her to the glittering, light show called the dance floor without verbal protest. The Lady Haha! song that had been playing when they entered was now replaced with a slower, sleepy pop song. To put it simply, Pan wasn't the best dancer at prom; Uub wasn't the best dancer at prom either. Despite this, the two actually shared a couple of chuckles as they moved together to the beat, somewhat offbeat.

"I've never been to anything like this before," he pointed out the obvious, his arms laced around her. She oddly didn't feel too awkward about it.

Pan smiled. "You're doing fine, Uub. You really can't even tell." That may have been stretching the truth just a tad but Uub's grin made her feel zero regrets for it. He really was a great guy, reminding her of her grandfather a bit with his huge heart and innocent, naive way of behaving in the most random situations. They both were clearly out of their usual habitat of field sparring.

"Bulla seems to be having a good time."

"Hm?" Pan glanced over the boy's bulky, over-sized tux-clad shoulder to sneak a glance at Bulla and her date, Blaise. The handsome quarterback was whispering mischievously into the bluenette's diamond studded ear. She giggled and nodded her head once before the two departed the dance floor, Blaise leading Bulla out toward the now abandoned parking lot. Everybody was inside.

"Isn't it just _insane_?!" She heard a voice behind her, flinching slightly as she turned around to see Massie and Autumn, Bulla's self-programmed clones. The two blonde, blue-eyed robots were dressed in matching magenta gowns, both donning stilettos and silver accessories that looked humorously familiar to the ones Bulla had worn to homecoming that year. Massie beamed a toothy smile, her hands resting on her hips as Autumn looked on enviously at the power couple making their exit. "Viki Johannes told me that he only takes the prettiest girls out of the gym during dances," she said. "B is like - so lucky."

"_What_?"

Massie rolled her eyes. "Keep up, Pam - "

"Pan," she corrected through clenched teeth.

"Right, _Pan_." Autumn exchanged a glance with her twin, who giggled in response. "Anyway, I meant hooking up! You know: Homerun? Deflowering? Sacrificing the virgin? Getting it on?"

Pan blinked multiple times, more so out of disbelief than confusion. "_W-What_?"

"I'm so not repeating myself." Autumn rolled her eyes and Massie followed. The two hooked arms and left Pan standing in shock, her arms still draped around Uub's neck. He seemed to have been confused during the entire conversation and looked to Pan, his face concerned.

"Who are they?" He finally asked.

"It doesn't even matter." The dark-haired girl sighed, sliding her arms away from him to rest at her sides. "I have to talk to Bulla. You'll be okay here, right?"

"Sure. Of course."

**Parking lot chaos - 8:50 PM**

"Blaise." Bulla giggled, playfully pushing the boy back as he hungrily kissed her perfume-scented neck, tickling her skin and dangerously bordering her exposed upper cleavage. "Blaise!"

"_What_?" He snapped, his eyes impatient as he stared at the younger girl in his arms. "I thought you wanted to come to prom with me."

"I did come to prom with you," she retorted, an eyebrow raised. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he thought was going to happen here tonight. They were supposed to be inside, dancing and mingling with friends (showing each other offer). There was absolutely nothing appealing about this scenario. His hand rested on her thigh and she shook his off, quickly becoming irritated with the boy who she had once found so handsome. "What's your _problem_?"

"What's your problem?" He shot back. "This is my last prom, you know. I chose you over every girl who would have died to go with me and you're being a prissy little bitch!" Her fist collided roughly enough with his cheek to illicit a loud groan from the footballer. Bulla wasn't one to train but she could certainly back a threatening punch.

"I'm not some cheap slut who hooks up in the parking lot, Blaise. You've wrinkled my dress!"

Rubbing his quickly bruising cheek with his dominant palm, Blaise's free outreached hand grabbed her by the wrist. She realized that he had locked the doors. "Could have fooled me." She glared at him, normally soft eyes filled with sudden, fiery rage. How could have been so stupid to think this guy was actually good enough for her? Just as she was about to deck his head right through the window, a fist slammed through it and reached in. The violent hand seized Blaise by the hair and slammed his head into the steering wheel, quickly releasing him as Pan's scowling face came into view. Bulla gasped.

"Pan? What are you doing out here?!"

"Saving you from being this jerk's play thing, obviously!"

"Oh my god, do _not_ give me that! I could have easily handled it myself." She climbed out of the car, careful not to cut herself on the broken glass now lying comfortably on the floorboards. She was positively irate. "You _always_ do that, I swear! It's like you think you're so much stronger than me."

"I am stronger than you," she responded nonchalantly.

"I have more Saiyan blood in my pinky."

"I train. You don't." Pan shrugged, slightly wounded by the verbal jab. Bulla knew she was self-conscious about her lesser Saiyan heritage. "You're the definition of spoiled. You walk around like you're so perfect, but you're not. Look at that loser!"

Bulla had forgotten about Blaise up until now. She glanced at the unconscious boy, her arms folded underneath her chest. "At least I've been on a date. You haven't gone out with anyone since that clown sophomore year, remember?"

"Jimmy wasn't a clown. He just took medication for hyper habits...- Wait! When did this turn into my love life?!"

The two were walking now, nowhere in particular, both looking fierce and furious.

"It's always been your problem, Pan. You're jealous of me. It's that simple."

"I'm _not_ jealous of you!"

"Then why are you out here?!" Bulla stopped abruptly, turning to face the other. Her cerulean hues burned fiercely. She was overwhelmed by all that had already happened, or had almost happened to her tonight.

"We promised to be there for each other..." Pan crossed her own arms, cradling herself. Her tough exterior crumbled. She couldn't help but to wonder if it was a crime to worry about your friends, or ex best friend, anyway. Bulla sure made it seem that way. Her snort in response increased Pan's curiosity.

"That was a long time ago. Things change," she said with a small pause in between her words. Her eyes flashed between betrayal and anger. "But you would know all about that, _right_? After all, you ditched me all the time years back."

Pan blinked. "I was sort of saving the world, Bulla. Besides, once I came back you were never around."

"Did you expect me to just sit around the entire time?" The turquoise-haired princess shook her head to answer her own question. "I got a life of my own. You can have your training, and Trunks, and Uub, and Goten. We're not little kids anymore."

The older girl scoffed. "You sure act like one, still."

"Whatever. Just stay away from me and my real friends, okay?"

"Fine."

"Fine."

Bulla was the first to stomp off, cell phone in hand. Pan went the opposite direction, in hopes of finding Uub. The unconscious Blaise remained unconscious in his vandalized car.


End file.
